Thursday, February 28, 2013

Please join me in welcoming Andrea Downing to The Roses of Prose today. And what fun to have her - she has a give away. Read to the bottom of the post and see how you can win!

Tomorrow, sadly,
is March 1st.Why sadly?Because in some years, tomorrow would be
February 29th when a young lady has full license to ask out a man or
even to propose marriage.If you are stuck
with a commitment-phobe boyfriend, have been dying to go out with that
good-looking guy in your office or have just been stuck at home for the last
three Saturdays dying for a date, Leap Year would be the time to take on the
responsibility that usually falls to the man—doing the asking.

The tradition of
a woman proposing on Leap Year seems to have started in the Scandinavian
countries where, if such a proposal was refused, there was a penalty of buying
gloves or dress cloth for the woman.Hardly good recompense for having a marriage proposal turned down!This tradition was then brought over to
Scotland by a Queen Margaret (there were several Margarets) in 1288 who had
been living with her court in what is now Norway; since Margaret was aged 5 at
the time this was made law, it is hardly likely to have been her idea.Nevertheless, by the 17th Century
the tradition was in place in Great Britain and eventually spread to
Ireland.

But without Leap
Year what can you do?

Well, you can
wait for November 15th, Sadie Hawkins' Day.Sadie Hawkins' Day was started as a plot
device by cartoonist Al Capp in his L'il
Abner cartoon strip.Poor ol' Sadie
was said to be the ugliest woman in Dogpatch.When she remained unwed at the ripe old age of 35, her father, the prominent,
powerful and wealthy Hekzebiah Hawkins, declared a footrace in which the town's
eligible bachelors were given a head start over Sadie.But whomever Sadie caught had to marry her!Extensive research has not divulged to me the
name of the unfortunate forced into wedlock in this manner, but it has revealed
that way back in 1937 when the cartoon strip appeared, it began a tradition on U.S.
college campuses of Sadie Hawkins dances and races.Think how prescient this was prior to
Women's Lib!

Nowadays, Sadie
Hawkins' Day is often confused with leap year and the name applied to February
29th—but do we really need it?Most young women I know—and my own sweet daughter is one of them—have no
problem in asking men out on 'a date.'But propose marriage?Ah—that's a
different proposition!

I'm very happy to
give away an e-copy of my book, Loveland,
to the first person who can prove to me that his or her birthday is February 29th!OK, ok:I'll give away one free e-copy of Loveland
to the first person who can find out the name of Sadie Hawkins' husband!No?Can't find it?Well, my
character, Lady Alexandra Calthorpe, was way before her time in pursuing a
career.If you can head on over to my
website at http://andreadowning.com and
tell me what career Alex was pursuing and put it on a comment on the 'About the
Author' page, I'll send a free e-copy of Loveland
to the first person to answer correctly.That's 3 chances to win. Good luck!

BLURB:

When Lady Alexandra Calthorpe returns to the Loveland, Colorado,
ranch owned by her father, the Duke, she has little idea of how the experience
will alter her future. Headstrong and willful, Alex tries to overcome a
disastrous marriage in England and be free of the strictures of Victorian
society --and become independent of men. That is, until Jesse Makepeace
saunters back into her life...

Hot-tempered and
hot-blooded cowpuncher Jesse Makepeace can’t seem to accept that the child he
once knew is now the ravishing yet determined woman before him. Fighting
rustlers proves a whole lot easier than fighting Alex when he’s got to keep
more than his temper under control.

Arguments abound as
Alex pursues her career as an artist and Jesse faces the prejudice of the
English social order. The question is, will Loveland live up to its name?

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Our Brenda is anxiously waiting the arrival of her first grandchild--and we are all eager for her birth announcement. I'm the grandmother of six, ranging in age from thirteen to twenty-four--a wonderment since I'm only twenty-nine.

Mention the word "grandma" and a stereotypical grey-haired lady often comes to mind. But we all know this is not necessarily so. Many grandmas are young, vibrant and active. Yes, we still bake cookies. We still play wordgames late into the night when the grandkids are over. My grandkids expect all-night James Bond marathons when they come to visit, complete with homemade pizzas and popcorn. But in today's world grandmas also text and tweet and post on facebook.

My grandchildren live in Indiana and Maryland, while Calvin and I reside in southern Virginia. I keep in touch via social media and the grandkids think it's cool I know this stuff. Of course, they also use it to their advantage from time-to-time. Take my fifteen-year-old grandson who sent me a text Monday evening: I love u, G-ma. I mean I rlly love u, BTW I got all A's this marking pd. How's that for being "hit up" for his reward? You see, I started the tradition years ago: A straight "A" report card is worth a hundred dollars. Kids, they never forget.

One of my granddaughters is a college freshman. She posts a gazillion pictures on facebook. Here's one of her "studying" with her friends. She's the one in yellow. If she sees I'm online, she instant messages. The night she had her heart broken, we texted for hours as she poured out her heart in teenage angst. "But grandma, I loooooove him soooooo much!!!!!!!!" I'm thinking she has a heavy-duty exclaimation point on the laptop I bought her. Of course I was concerned, texting and IM'ing her everyday for several weeks. I sent her care packages and a big cuddly baboon with a sign hanging around his neck: "Mr. Right".

They know I'm a sucker for books and often email me with a book wish list. Yup, like most grandmas, I'm a softie where they're concerned. They know a few days after they hit SEND on that email, a package from Amazon will arrive.

I miss them. I've missed a lot of their lives living as far away as we do. Still, like most grandparents, we travel to see them in many of their activities--dance recitals, baseball and football games, bowling tournaments and wrestling meets. Graduations from high school and Army Basic Training. Sure there are the traditional letters and goofy cards, but more and more we rely on social media to keep in touch. And, surprisingly, it seems more personal. Who would have thought? When my grandson was in Afghanistan, we emailed and texted almost daily. Josh needed a few words from me and I needed to know he was okay. When two of his buddies were killed in front of him, I was the one of the first people he contacted with a long, rambling email.

Every grandma has her own way of showing love. The important thing is that we DO. We add an extra layer of security and unconditional love to their lives.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

A dear friend of mine died earlier this month. This was not a tragedy; he had been ill and his death really was a release.

During his life, I was often struck by what an odd relationship he & his wife had. They appeared to argue a lot, disagreeing about just about everything. She was fast, he was slow. He was a hoarder, she was a tosser. They both did love to travel, but they seemed to disagree about routes, what to pack, etc.

She was so distraught at the funeral that his favorite songs weren't played. He was a minister and he probably had a slew of favorite songs, but she was quite upset that one particular song didn't get played. When she and I talked afterward, she said that she was upset because he liked that song so much. No one else probably realized that, but it made a big difference to her.

I think she's feeling a great sense of relief that she no longer has the caregiver role. He wasn't going to get well, and there was nothing she could do to mitigate his misery, which was such a stress for her. I remember when my father was ill, how my mother relaxed so much when he died because she was no longer responsible for his quality of life.

When I see things like this, I am always reminded that there are many ways to show love -- some that aren't readily seen by others. So it reminds me to pause before I critique anyone's relationships, because who knows what is going on in their lives?

Monday, February 25, 2013

There’s something about weddings. I’ve noticed a trend in my stories
to include romantic, candlelit weddings. Maybe this is the reason why I
decided to go write a romance about a wedding planner. Or it could be
the fact my daughter suggested my next heroine should be in the wedding
planning business. Whatever the reason, my latest romance, My Sexiest Wedding,
was a thrill to write. Not only did I get to include a sizzling,
sexy-fun wedding into the story but my lead character was all about
weddings.

In each of my
books, I like to make the wedding scenes as romantic and unique as I
possibly can for each couple. Sometimes it’s the main characters who
happen to be the ones repeating vows and sometimes they’re attending as
guests. I have to admit it’s a lot of fun to do research to write a
wedding scene. I get to spend time looking over beautiful bridal gowns,
pretty flowers, scrumptious looking cakes, and decided what music will
be played and what kind of champagne to served. Along with adding
personal touches from the hero and heroine which could be a keepsake,
special song, or even a heartfelt vow.

In my Cedar Point series, I’ve Got You,
the heroine Amber Bradley meets the hero Josh Craig at a wedding and
decides he’s not what she’s looking for. Luckily the guy doesn’t give
up. In my second Cedar Point book, Falling For You,
there’s a romantic Valentine’s night wedding with tons of red roses,
flickering candles...besides lots of drama. My heroine, Heather Grant
and hero, Cooper Gerhardt have quite the tear-filled scene to play out.
In my romance, Manhattan Holiday, the hero, Roman Vasquez
whisks the heroine April Sutton way for a breathtaking wedding over a
holiday weekend. And now in my latest romance, My Sexiest Wedding,
the heroine, wedding planner Spring James, can’t believe her one-night
stand, sexy Spanish cowboy Rafael Quintero, has show up in her hometown
looking for love. You’ll have to read the story to find out if he gets
her to the altar. Not easy. Even though she loves planning
weddings—marriage is the last thing on her mind.

If you’re looking for romance and marriage—here’s a personal “wedding” invitation to enjoy one of my romances.

Thanks so much to the ladies of Roses of Prose for hosting me here today!

As a wedding planner, getting couples down the aisle is all part of the
work week for Spring James. But when it comes to her own love
life—marriage is the last thing on her mind. Until her one-night stand
arrives in her hometown unannounced. Tall, dark and handsome is only a
start. Nothing but lean, taut muscle, he’s ruggedly charismatic and
good with kids, besides. Prompting her to reconsider her no marriage
rule.

For
the past month, Spanish cowboy Rafael Quintero, has been haunted by
what happened between them in Miami while there on business. He’s spent
the time since on his ranch in Argentina, with a crushed ego, and his
male pride keeping him from going after her. Now a twist of fate has
brought them back together and all bets are off.

Set
in the small town of Bernie, Ohio, Rafael and Spring’s romantic-steamy
love story will capture your heart as they discover the secret to
falling in love.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

As I type, the new baby hasn't exactly shown herself yet. It could be today...or tomorrow...she's very close. I thought it best to type my blog before we all break out in excitement and blogging is the last thing on my mind.

This will be my first grandchild and that is a joy I didn't think I'd ever get to know. Our son said he'd never bring a child into this world but love of the right woman changed that...share the love.

It's been many years since I experienced pregnancy. Wow, have things changed. My daughter-in-law is so knowledgeable about her body and her girl child. "Birthing centers" are a new phenomenon too. For me anyway. I shared a typical hospital room with another woman and Frank went home at the end of the day. For dinner I had a greasy ham and cheese sandwich because the hospital kitchen had closed. My son and his wife will stay, together, in what amounts to a nice hotel room where he'll be able to sleep on a pull out bed. They'll have a nice steak dinner for their first meal. Birthing centers really know how to share the love.

I must be in a baby state of mind. There's a baby expected in my current novel I'm writing - a first for me. Lots of sharing of love in this book. But then that's what romance is about, right? I'm having a little trouble concentrating on the new book with the baby due any moment. It's a sure bet that my daughter-in-law will deliver before my book does.